It’s hard to believe that Independence Day is almost upon us! And since most big holidays are all about the FOOD, I’ve got a bunch of real food recipe ideas for you today. The point here is that celebrations can still be fun even with real food as the focus.

Mark Bittman said he researched it and found that it is actually cheaper for families to cook at home than it is for them to buy dinner at McDonald’s. I decided to put his theory to the test, and I have findings below to support his theory.

Long before I’d even given processed food or real food a thought, I’d heard about the supposed dangers of nitrites and nitrates. But really, how many of us actually know what a nitrate or nitrite is and exactly why it’s something we should avoid in the first place?